GSF CARE

This is the gold standard, where best-practices are applied to person-centered care management and fiduciary oversight.

Guardianship & Conservatorship of the Person

for individuals who require the highest level of care management and decision making assistance.

Conservatorship of the Estate

For individuals requiring fiduciary services and financial oversight.

Case Management

an à la carte approach to person-centered service delivery, where you enlist GSF expertise and decide on an intervention scope and intensity all your own!

Trustee Services

We administer trusts and estates!

Power of Attorney

As POA, we advocate your terms with your voice.

Let us help you plan a more fulfilling life for you and your loved ones

Trust Administration

GSF administers trusts, including special needs trusts (SNT’s), preservation trusts, and minors trusts as trustee, or successor trustee. Through our partnership with Secured Futures, we can help facilitate attachment to a pooled trust options if you do not have a unique, standalone document created. GSF will serve as co-Trustee with other financial institutions where appropriate. Trust administration services are delivered at a fraction of the cost of for-profit alternatives within a banking industry, and we do so with the gentle touch of our GSF CARE standard and promise.

Guardianship

GSF serves as court-appointed guardians and conservators of the person (CA). This service is for individuals who require the highest level of care and oversight, and for people who may be at risk of abuse or exploitation. In this program, a master-level social worker will regularly review the client’s living arrangements, health & wellbeing, medical appointments and medications, and financials to assure he/she is receiving top-level care and support..

Power of Attorney

GSF serves as medical power of attorney, as well as medical proxy and healthcare representative. This service incorporates care and oversight to a person’s unique circumstances, and can be as broad or narrow, or as long or short-term as necessary. This service is common when a person is planning for upcoming medical procedure, experiencing deteriorating health situations, or planning for end-of-life transitions. With gentle compassion, GSF care professionals are trained to ease the stress of these challenges, and will help guide the process through every phase there may be.

Financial Power of Attorney

GSF serves as financial power of attorney, and will assist the person with bill pay, household budgeting, and home/estate matters. As financial power of attorney, GSF will also marshal assets and help the person get onto a pathway to financial peace of mind.

Case Management

GSF can take any service listed here, or any part of a service listed here, and craft a unique à la carte solution that best meets the person’s circumstances. Case management services can be as broad or narrow as the needs demand, and we are able to ebb and flow with life’s changes as they arise.

Conservator of the Estate

GSF will serve as a conservator of a person’s estate. In this service-category, GSF manages and oversees every aspect of a person’s financial estate, and will do so with transparency, under court supervision. Conservator of the estate services are often sought by parents who feel their adult-child lacks certain financial management skills, so they establish long-term professional assistance with this very critical element of life.

How we work

We get to know you

Everything we do is guided by your unique set of circumstances. This begins with an initial consultation. Whether you are looking for services now, or just seeking information about how to approach challenges in the future, we’re here and ready to talk.

We map a tentative plan

There are often many ways to achieve the same goal. Our hope is to map a plan that is simple and achievable, and aligned to needs as they arise in the future.

We set some goals

The initial consultation isn’t worth much if it doesn’t end with some action point and goals. Maybe our goal is to talk again in a year or two. Or, maybe the goal is to begin working on your estate plan, or for GSF to engage in the life of a loved one. Whether you are looking for trustee services, guardianship, conservatorship, or some simple help filling out Social Security forms, the goals will mirror your preferences.

Review and Update

Life’s circumstances tend to change, so we always like to check back in with you every 12-18 months, even in cases where GSF’s services are years from commencement, just to make sure nothing needs to be updated, added, tweaked or discontinued.

What our clients and their loved ones say

“Good Shepherd Fund saved our lives by taking over conservatorship services for our handicapped son. We were in turmoil before GSF agreed to take over. Thank you Good Shepherd Fund.”

Vic and Pauline Christiansen

“The Good Shepherd Fund was a godsend to my family. When our parents died the Fund was able to place my developmentally disabled sister in a residential and social environment that enabled her to live a full and joyous life. The Fund’s conservatorship program also administered her estate for many years. Both of these acts are ones that I would have had difficulty accomplishing alone. My wife and I are happy to have supported this mission through the gift of a Charitable Gift Annuity.”

Harry and Glenna DeWeese

“Our son, Aldo, has been involved with the Good Shepherd Fund for several years. We cannot emphasize enough what a wise decision it was for all of us to take this step. Aldo’s living arrangements have worked out quite well. He is content with where he lives, and his case manager and all those who work with him have made his life pleasant and fulfilling. We are happy to see him well adjusted and are especially relieved to know that he will be well looked after when we are no longer around.”

Enrico and Jane Bernasconi

“As a member of the oversight committee for the Good Shepherd Fund guardianship program in Oregon, I have been very impressed with the services they provide to protected persons. For intellectually disabled persons without family, an independent guardian is vital to obtaining proper medical services and guaranteeing that a safe home environment and appropriate work and leisure activities are provided for them.”

Mary Beamer

“Working with the Good Shepherd Fund to get help and care for our disabled son has been nothing short of a miracle. Our son’s life has improved drastically over the last 6 years. He is able to function on a higher level than we ever felt was possible. As his parents we also have a piece of mind knowing that the Good Shepherd Fund will advocate for his interests when we are no longer able.”

Gerry and Evonne Meyer

“The Good Shepherd Fund came into our lives in the mid-eighties when my widowed mother began to search for security for my handicapped sister. Mom was comforted and relieved to know that the Good Shepherd Fund would be there after her own death. Many years later the GSF led my husband and me to one of their guardianship representatives in Colorado… We are thankful that they are there.”

Susie and Marvin Oltmann

“It is a sense of relief to know that Good Shepherd Fund will be there for our son after we are gone. GSF has invested wisely; our initial investment has grown substantially. The fact that any help our son will get from his GSF special needs trust will not affect any federal or state benefits is a relief. The fact that the professional people from GSF who will be working with our son will have understanding and compassion is important to us.”

George and Vi Niedermayr

“As it is likely that our dear son, Stevie, may outlive us by 35 to 40 years, our greatest concern is to assure that he has responsible, conscientious, and loving oversight after we can no longer provide it. We are greatly relieved to have established the Good Shepherd Fund to be his co-guardian with us now, and to seamlessly inherit full guardianship responsibilities after our deaths. As an immortal institution, the Good Shepherd Fund can select, and as the passage of time may require can replace, a qualified person as its agent to carry out this oversight.”

Recent Case Examples

In Re: Susan

Susan is a 52 year old autistic woman who lives independently, but requires daily check-ins. Historically these check-ins have been conducted by Ray (her brother), Randall (her Father), or Patricia (her mother). Susan’s brother recently got a job in New Hampshire and is moving. Her parents are now in their 70’s and have been thinking about end-of-life arrangements, and are concerned with how to assure Susan’s wellbeing after they are gone. They turned to Good Shepherd Fund.

In Re: Jerry

During a high school football scrimmage, Jerry suffered a serious brain injury after an assistant coach told him to wear another player’s helmet. Through the legal process he was awarded a 1 million dollar settlement, which the court ordered into a Special Needs Trust, in order to help pay for Jerry’s expected long-term care and quality of life needs. The family selected Good Shepherd Fund as the trustee.

Want to learn more about how we can help you?

Good Shepherd Fund

The Good Shepherd Way

The Good Shepherd Fund has been helping families for over 40 years. We manage trusts and estates, we are conservators and guardians, and we seek to make decisions on behalf of your loved one the way you would. It’s what we do. Your trust is our passion.

Disclaimer

Information on this web site is provided for general informational purposes only. Blog posts are not updated retroactively and may become “stale.” While every effort has been made to provide accurate information, Secured Futures assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from relying on information provided on the site. Information provided on this site is not legal or financial advice and is not a substitute for hiring legal or financial counsel. In order to understand all the laws relevant to your unique situation and how they apply, consult with an attorney or certified financial advisor.